Combination switch and wall plug



March 5, 1957 H. J. SHEPHERD 2,734,263

COMBINATION SWITCH AND WALL PLUG Filed Dec. 2, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fig9e 98 /00 F/g 3 g E f 42 EH97? 92 naw F 8 7e '54 56 40 O 4 4e 50 52 b Ls F/ .2

Herbert J. Shepherd Fig. 5 INI'EXTOR.

March 5, 1957 H. J. SHEPHERD 2,784,268

COMBINATION SWITCH AND WALL PLUG Filed Dec. 2, 1955 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Herbert J. Shepherd IN V EN TOR.

BY W

COMBINATION SWITCH AND WALL PLUG Herbert J. Shepherd, Miami, Fla.,assignor of fifty percent to Donald R. Jackson, North Miami Beach, Fla.

Application December 2, 1955, Serial No. 550,695

3 Claims. (Cl. 200-51) This invention relates generally to electricaladapters or switch assemblies and is more particularly concerned with aswitch assembly connectible in an electrical outlet for remote controlof electrical applicances.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedelectrical adapter with a switch or circuitbreaker which is spring-urgedbetween circuit making and breaking positions, wherein the circuit ismanually made and remotely broken by means of force transmitting meanssecured to the circuit breaker.

A more specific object of the invention in conformance with that setforth above is to provide a body member of a nonconductive material, thebody member including male and female electrical connection portions,the electrical connection portions including a pair of linearly spacedterminal contact portions engageable by a trans verse reciprocablecircuit breaker element which is spring-urged between circuit making andbreaking positions, and further including a force transmitting elementsecured to an external end portion of the circuit breaker element tobreak a circuit between the male and female connection portions from aremote position.

A further object of the invention in conformance with that set forthabove is to provide an electrical switch assembly of the character setforth which is readily and economically manufactured, easily installedand used, and readily acceptable for the purposes intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view showing a novel switch assembly in aposition of use in an electrical outlet with the circuit breaker elementshown in a position to break the circuit in the switch assembly by meansof a weight secured on a force transmitting element secured to thecircuit breaker;

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view from another side of the novelswitch assembly;

Figure 3 is a plan view of one of the plate portions comprising the bodyof the switch assembly;

Figure 4 is a plan view of another portion of the body of the switchassembly showing the toggle link assembly and circuit breaker elementmounted therein;

Figure 5 is a plan view of another section of the novel switch assembly,said portion supporting the electrical conducting portions of male andfemale electrical connection portions of the switch assembly;

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on the line6--6 of Figure 1 showing the position of the cooperating parts when acircuit is made between the male and female connection portions of theswitch assembly;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Figure 6 showing therelative position of the cooperating parts when a circuit is brokenbetween the male and nited States Patent 2,784,268 Fatented Mar. 5, 19572 female electrical connection portions of the switch as sembly;

Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connectionportions or elements comprising the male and female electricalconnection portions of the switch assembly;

Figure 9 is an enlarged sectional view tially on the line 9-9 of Figure5;

Figure 10 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the electricalconnection elements comprising a portion of the female electricalconnection portion of the switch assembly;

Figure 11 is an enlarged perspective 'view ofanother electricalconnection element comprising a portion of the male electricalconnection portion of the switch' assembly; and

Figure 12 is still another enlarged perspective view of an electricalconnection element comprising portions of both the male and femaleelectrical connection portions of the switch assembly.

The novel switch assembly is indicated generally at 10 and includes forconvenience of assembly a plurality of sections 12, 14 and 16 which arejuxtaposed and secured together in any suitable manner, by means ofsuitable fastening screws 18, for example, these plate portions defininga body member of a suitable. non-conductive material indicated generallyat 20. The plate portion 16 incorporates a pair of spaced transverseapertured portions 22 and 24 constituting the female electricalconnection portion of the body member 20 for the reception of the usualmale plug of an electrical appliance. As seen in Figure 2 the plateportion 16 has extending therefrom taken substana pair of spacedrelatively parallel prong elements 26 and 28 constituting the maleconnection portion of the switch assembly. Extending through atransverse aperture 30 in the plate portion 16 is a circuit breakerelement 32 which has secured in a suitable apertured portion 34 aflexible force transmitting element such as a cord or Wire indicated at36, and the flexible force transmitting element 36 may have secured onthe lower end thereof in any suitable manner a weight element 38.

The plate portion 12, see Figure 5, includes suitable corner apertures40 for assembly of the switch assembly, and incorporates thereon anelectrical contact element indicated generally at 42 which constitutesone portion of the male electrical connection portion of the switchassem-' bly, a generally indicated electrical connection element 44,which constitutes a portion of both the male and female electricalconnection portions of the switch assembly, and an electrical connectionelement 46 which constitutes a portion of the female electricalconnection portion of the switch assembly.

The electrical connection element 42 includes the male prong element 26which terminates in a right angular horizontal plane portion 48 having alaterally extending portion 50 to which is secured the lower supportportion 52 of a terminal contact element 54 which is constituted by anarcuate portion having an inherent resiliency for engagement with thecircuit breaker element as will subsequently become apparent, thehorizontal support portion 52 being secured on the portion 50 by meansof suitable fastening elements such as the rivet 56.

The electrical connection element 44 incorporates the prong element 28which is inserted through the plate 16 as seen in Figure 2, said prong28 continuing as a right angularly bent portion 5%, the portion 58continuing as a second right angularly bent portion 60 which terminatesin a still further right angularly bent portion 62 constituting asupport for an electrical connection element 64 having a right angularsupport portion 66 secured to the portion 62 by means of a suitablerivet 68, for example, the portion 64 including a terminal end portionwhich may be bent over and have an inherent resiliency, said portionbeing indicatedat 70 and being engageable with one of the prongs of aconventional male plug elementof an electrical appliance.

The electrical connection element 46 comprises a support portion 72including a downwardly or depending key portion 7 4-, the port-ion 72having secured thereon in longitudinal alignment therewith a contactelement 76 including an arcuate end portion 78 which may be defined as aterminal end portion which will be disposed within the body member inspaced relationship from the contact element 54, the element 76 beingsecured on the support portion 72 by means ofany suitable fasteningmeanssuch as the rivet d. The portion 72 of the element 46 includes anupwardly extending portion 32 terminating in a right angularly relatedsupport portion 84 which has secured thereon an electrical connectionelement 86 by means of a horizontal support portion 88 thereon, saidportion 88 being secured on the portion 34- by means of a suitable rivet91), for example, and the portion 86 continuing as an arcuate resilientcontact portion 92 constituting the other half of the female electricalconnection portion of the switch assembly.

As most clearly seen in Figure 8, the terminal end portions 54 and 78 ofthe electrical contact elements 42 and 46 interrupt a direct circuitbetween the prong elements 26 and 28 and the contact elements 70 and 92,respectively.

The plate portion 14 of the body member is suitably conformed to providea spacer between sections 12 and 16, said section 14- includingapertured portions 94 and 96 which surround the contact portions 7%) and92, and the plate element 14 further includes a centrally locatedapertured portion 98 which is in overlying transverse alignment with theterminal contacts 54 and 78. The plate element 14 includes suitableapertured portions 100 extending through the corners for alignment withthe apertures 49 of the plate 12.

As seen in Figure 9, the portion 74 of the electrical connection element46 extends into a suitable slotted portion 102 of the plate element 12thus providing a means for mounting the element 46 on said plate.

The plate element 16 includes an internal recess or compartment portion104 for a purpose to subsequently become apparent, further includes apair of spaced apertured portions 106 and 168 at one end thereof foralignment with the connection elements or portions '71) and 92 ofelements 44 and 46, respectively, said plate 16 further include suitableapertured portions 110 located in each corner'for alignment with thepreviously mentioned apertures 49 and 1% of the plates 12 and 14,respectively.

The circuit breaker element 32, as previously mentioned, extends througha suitable aperture 39 in the plate element 16, said aperture 39intersecting the internal compartment res of the plate 16 andaccommodating the lower end of the circuit breaker element on which issecured an electrical contact element 112 which is secured thereon bymeans of a suitable securing screw 114. The body portion of the circuitbreaker element being made of any suitable non-conductive material, andthe lower portion 112 being extendable between the terminal contacts 54and 73 of the electrical contact elements 42 and 44 for the purpose ofcompleting or breaking the circuit between the male and femaleelectrical connection portions of the switch assembly.

The body portion of the circuit breaker element has extending from anintermediate portion thereof a pivot ear portion 115 which is connectedby means of suitable pivot pin 116 to a link element 113 or" aspring-urged toggle linkage assembly indicated generally at 12%. Theplate element 16 includes a blind bore portion 122 which intersects thecompartment 194 which is disposed in substuntial planar alignment withthe circuit breaker element 32, .said blind bore portion having one endor a compression spring 124- in engagement with the end wall portion 126thereof; A pin element 128 extends into the blind bore portion v122,said pin incorporating an annular abutment flange13t) thereon, and thespring 124 circumposed on the pin 128 with the other end thereof inengagement with the abutment flange 134 The linkage element 118 issuitably connected by means or a pivot pin 132 to the end of the pin 128which extends into the compartment 104.

Thus whenlthe circuit breaker element 32 is moved to the positions shownin Figures 6 and 7 the pin 123 will move inwardly toward the'end 126 ofthe blind bore 122 whereupon the spring 124 will be compressed when theportion of the circuit breaker element is in direct linear alignmentwith said blind bore portion, however, in the position shown inFigures-6 and '7 the compression spring 124 will urge the circuitbreaker element 32 either toward or away from the terminal contacts 54and '78 by virtue of the ofifset relationship of the portion 114 of saidcircuit breakerclement.

The switch assembly is set manually wherein the circuit breaker willbein the position shown in Figure 6, upon the application of .force onthe element 36 the circuit breaker element 32 maybe readily withdrawnout of contact with the terminal contacts 54 and 78 thus breaking acircuit between the male and female electrical connection portions ofthe switch assembly thus cutting off the flow of current to anelectrical appliance which has been attached to the female con-tactportions of the switch assembly.

As seen in Figure 1, the switch assembly could be utilized with anoverhead female socket of an electrical connection and the relativelyheavy weight 38 could be retained on a persons bed, for example, andjust before falling asleep a person could move the element 38 off thebed whereupon the weight thereof would cause the circuit breaker elementto move away from the previously mentioned contacts 54 and 78 thusturning 01f a radio, television set or any other electrical applianceutilized with said switch assembly.

Various positional directional terms such as front, top, etc., areutilized here and have only a relative connotation to aid in describingthe device and are not intended to require any particular orientationwith respect to any external elements.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be restarted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new'is as follows: 7

l. A switch assembly comprising a body member of non-conductive materialhaving a .pair of spaced recessed portions accommodating the male plugsof electrical devices, strips of conducting material disposed within therecessed portions defining a female connection portion of the switchassembly, a pair of spaced prongs of conductive material extending outof the body member and defining a male electrical connection portion onthe switch assembly, one of the prongs being directly connected to oneof the conducting strips, the body member including an internal chamberportion, the other conducting strip and prong element terminating inspaced linear alignment within the chamber portion of the body member, abore portion in the body member in transverse intersecting alignmentwith the terminal ends of the other conducting strip and prong element,a circuit breaker element reciprocably supported in the bore portion andincluding an elongated body of non-conducting material having one endextending out of the body memher, a contact element secured on the otherend of the body of the circuit breaker element for engagement between.the terminal ends of the other contact strip and prong element withinthe internal chamber portion of thebody member, a spring-urged togglelinkage assembly pivotally connected to an intermediate portion of thebody of the circuit breaker element for biasing the contact element intoand out of engagement with the terminal ends of the other contact stripand prong element, and force transmitting means secured on the end ofthe body of the circuit breaker element extending out of the bodymember.

2. A switch assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the body memberincludes a lateral bore portion intersecting the internal chamberportion of the body member, said bore portion being in planar alignmentwith the circuit breaker element, a pin element extending into the boreportion, said pin element including an intermediate abutment portion, acompression spring in the bore portion in engagement with the abutmentportion of the pin element, and a linkage element pivoted at oppositeends between the pin element and an intermediate portion of the circuitbreaker element.

3. A switch assembly comprising a body member of non-conductingmaterial, a female socket portion in the body member including a pair ofstrips of conducting material, a male connection portion comprising apair of prong elements of conducting material extending from the bodymember, one of the male prong elements being directly connected to oneof the strips, the other strip and prong element including spacedterminal ends in linear alignment within the body member, a circuitbreaker element reciprocably supported in the body member intransversing overlying relationship to the spaced terminal ends of thestrip and prong element, said circuit breaker element including a bodyportion of nonconducting material extending out of the body member, thecircuit breaker element including a lower end of conducting material forcompleting a circuit between the female and male socket portions, aresilient toggle linkage contained in the body member in laterallydisplaced planar relationship to the circuit breaker element bodyportion, said toggle linkage being pivotally connected to anintermediate portion of the circuit breaker element, and forcetransmitting means connected to the end of the circuit breaker elementextending out of the body member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,233,257 Grohsgal Feb. 25, 1941 2,474,454 Avery June 28, 1949 2,706,225Freeman Apr. 12, 1955

